Degree ? Waste Of Time

[Francko]

It's about the person, not the schooling.

Of course, but I guess we are discussing on how useful the degree can be in your job. I also know a dutch millionaire entrepreneur who went to the best business school in Holland. So again, I really think this subject shouldn't even be discussed as the people who wasted their studies, they certainly would have wasted work experience too. They might have passed their exams, just as much as many people at work manage not be made redundant despite their inefficiency, because they buy coffees for their managers, wear smart suits every day and so on...

However, in some countries (Germany, Spain, Italy) they do give too much attention to degrees. You are lucky that in UK is not as strict and give the individual more opportunities (in my opinion is silly as if I think how much I have studied in my last 10 years is way more than what I studied for my degree).

[threaded]

They have the thing about qualifications in Denmark too. It is so silly that often a job will be advertised, but your pay for that job will be dependant on the bits of paper you have!

Also, in such companies, if your bits of paper are not Danish then they might as well not exist, so foreigners can find it really difficult to get suitable work as they are "unqualified". Yet many Danes go and study abroad, then have a shock on returning to find their new qualifications are unrecognised.

On top of that a PhD in Denmark is a taught course, and what we'd think of as a PhD is something above that again. Hence a graduate from the UK is equivalent to masters here, and a masters a PhD. So even if they do recognise the qualification you'll be paid lower than what your qual represents.

Luckily I contract, and contractors don't have that sort of crap to put up with.

[milanbenes]

hmm,
Still, the Sun readers who haven't left and do not intend to leave the UK won't need to worry about such things.

Milan.

[Francko]

hmm,

having listened to you lot bleating away, apart from the benefits of the degree already mentioned, the biggest benefit my degree has been to me, is for getting work on the mainland, in my experience, getting residency permits for Eurozone countries (and yes we Brits do need to apply) depends upon having some formal educational qualification - degree. Secondly getting setup as self employed in most of these countries again requires some formal educational qualification - degree.

Still, the Sun readers who haven't left and do not intend to leave the UK won't need to worry about such things.

Milan.

Apart that I don't believe in any legal requirement of any IT degree in any country, even less for self-employed people, what you just said is a bit close-minded. THe successful people with a degree will recognise the importance of a degree, while the successful ones without will recognise the benefits of not having one. Again the road for success is varied. All you need to do is doing well what you do.

[milanbenes]

sorry Franko,

anyway, no point going into details, let them findout for themselves

Milan.

[Fleetwood]

2.2 in Modern Languages and Comparative Alcohol Abuse from red-brick. Graduated 1987. M Sc languages and business. First job with American multinational. Awful. Lasted 18 months. 20-week COBOL course in Paris in 1990. Seven years as software house permie en France. Contracting since Dec 1997. Ker-ching !!!!!!

A guy I know, council estate born and bred, left school at 16, became an apprentice, set up on his own ten years later, and now employs 60 people, lives in a two million quid house, drives a Range Rover and has three kids at public school.

Degrees???? Hmmmmmmmmmm......

[milanbenes]

look lads,

degree or not, it's about your Plan B

who's got a Plan B and what is it ?

My definition of a plan b is a business which functions and runs without your fulltime bum on seat - as opposed to being a contractor

Think of a vending machine that is an excellent plan b,


Milan.

[threaded]

Francko: Milan is correct. Yes, the Treaty of Rome says free movement of workers, but only the UK actually implements such things as intended.

Basically here in Denmark, you're allowed to stay for 3 months without a residency, 6 months with a residency, but for a longer residency you have to have not only a degree, but a 'recognised' degree, which knocks out all of the polywallys, and a good few proper universities as well. Then to cap that after a few years (?6?) you are also expected to pass an exam in Rigtdansk, which is an invented language that no one actually speaks (except maybe the Queen puts it on a little in her 15 minutes on the tele at xmas {notice, if you will, they give subtitles so the Danes can understand what she's saying}).

[Board Game Geek]

Think of a vending machine that is an excellent plan b

I think the condom business is a bit elastic to be honest, and liable to burst.

[darmstadt]

to get long term residency (you know, be legal) in Eurozone countries
where I have contracted, and even more so to register as self employed,
(again, you know, be legal) I have needed to produce a copy of my degree
certificate

Eh! I've been here in Germany for coming up 18 years now which I presume is pretty long term and I have never had to show anything to register as self-employed. Bottom talk